Ryanair cabin crew strip off for charity calendar

Female members of Ryanair’s cabin crew have stripped off to raise money for
charity.

The Irish low-cost airline has today launched its 2010 charity calendar in which it uses airline staff as the models. It hopes that the calendar will raise £100,000 for the charity “KIDS” which provides support to disabled children and their families across Britain.

This the third year that Ryanair has published these calendars, and the airline donates all the proceeds to charity.

Last year Labour MEP Mary Honeyball accused Ryanair of “sexualising” the airline industry.

“Ryanair has again done the dirty in a desperate bid for profits and pimped out its “sexiest” airline stewards in a “bare all” calendar,” she said. “Such derisory marketing will surely deter more serious candidates interested in a career in airline services and bring the entire airline service industry career into disrepute as a result.”

Michael O’Leary, the airline’s chief executive, confirmed that he has already bought the first 100 copies of the 2010 calendar and sent one to Ms Honeyball whom he labelled “anti-fun”.

A spokesman for Ryanair said that more than 800 of the airline’s 4,000 cabin crew applied to be in the calendar.

The calendars will be sold on-board Ryanair flights and on its website (www.ryanair.com) for €10 (£9).

Earlier this year the cabin crew and chief executive of Air New Zealand stripped off for an advert to promote the airline. Rob Fyfe, along with seven of his brave airline staff, carry out their usual aircraft duties wearing nothing but body paint.